2008 Internet Marketing Predictions

What to look for in the coming year.
It’s hard to believe that another year has already come and gone! BUT what a year it’s been. AND for all of the talk before about the arrival of Internet Marketing, this seemed to be the year that Internet Marketing finally reached the tipping point of public awareness and acceptance. Rarely before 2007 could I describe “what I do for a living” without explanation. Now, everyone seems to get it. BUT even though our industry is soaring, I’ve been in it too long to know that change is inevitable.

Below are some of the trends in Online Marketing that I predict for 2008:

1) Search Still Dominates – Can you ever really get too much of a good thing? Maybe. BUT when it comes to search engine marketing, there is still no equal. Search engines will continue to advance their technologies and provide searchers with an even higher number of relevant results. What’s more, most will be adding images, video, news, products and personalization to their results pages ensuring that you will probably find what you seek. In 2008, I predict that the search engine companies will continue to dominate the online world and will shatter all records achieved this previous year.

2)The Adoption of Pay Per Action – While search continues to rule, the way people pay for their advertising on the search engines will start to change. “Pay per action” is one such method, ensuring that advertisers only pay when a prospect completes a specified action such as complete a form or make a sale. While this is a no-brainer for most of us, only a small percentage of people actually use this type of program. In 2008, I predict that advertisers will start making a fundamental shift towards the trial and adoption of this program.

3)Alternative Advertising –When people aren’t searching (about 95% of the time), they are participating in blogging, social networking, shopping, and consuming content such as watching videos. With the rising cost of a click, advertisers will continue to look for value and higher returns elsewhere. In 2008, I predict that alternative advertising finally becomes mainstream.

4)Even Grandma has a Website – Have you started to notice that everyone (and their mother’s mother) has launched a website? While not all of these sites are created equal, entrepreneurs big and small are flocking to the web like never before. I expect this trend to continue in unprecedented ways. Because many of these newbies will need help navigating through the competitive online landscape, Internet Marketing Companies will continue to flourish in 2008.

5)Back to the Basics of Marketing – Eventually, with everyone competing for the same visibility on the web, you will make or break your site through real marketing. How well do you know your target? How well does your site communicate to them? How well does your site solve a prospects needs? Do you engage in a dialogue or do you just have one way communication? I predict that true marketing will finally be a necessity in 2008 for all web owners.

A final thought.

It’s incredible how quickly things have changed for our Industry. Only a few short years ago, you couldn’t sell a website without resistance. Now, websites seem to be selling themselves. In any case, we’ve all come a long way baby! The future is finally here and I, for one, am very excited about the great things ahead of us. Hope all of you a happy and prosperous new year.

Ron Weber is currently the President of SD Interactive, a San Diego Internet Marketing Agency.